When is a local area visit ‘routine’ and when do I need approval? Angela Willerton explains what you need to know to make learning outside the classroom a regular part of your teaching.
Urban or rural, your local area can be a rich resource for educational visits, such as parks, nature reserves, community spaces, or places of worship. With the right policies and risk assessments in place, you can grasp opportunities as they arise with only a little extra planning on top of your learning objectives.
One important distinction to understand is when a visit is a ‘local learning area’ visit and when it is a ‘routine’ visit, which would need more planning and usually approval by the EVC and headteacher.
Go local
Local Learning Area (LLA) visits usually occur within walking distance of your setting – this distance will vary according to the age and abilities of your students – and during your usual school hours. They are brilliant for providing a ‘real life’ context for things you’re learning about in class.
If you have the right policies and procedures in place, you won’t usually need to submit these visits for approval – check your employer’s policy for rules that apply to your setting.
The key is preparation:
- Define your LLA (on a map).
- Create a LLA policy, risk assessment, and standard operating procedures for LLA visits and ensure staff are trained in these.
- Get approval of the above from your SLT.
- You don’t need consent from families for LLA visits; however, consider seeking ‘blanket’ consent at the start of the year (make sure they are clear what they are consenting to and how they will be informed about visits).
Keep things under review – make sure you update your risk assessments based on changes related to your students or local area.
Watch a webinar recording for ‘Establishing and risk managing your local learning area’ at: www.evolveadvice.co.uk/videos.
‘Routine’ visits
This term is used to describe visits that are not overnight, adventurous or residential. Think theatre trips, museums and galleries, castles and planetariums – visits linked to the curriculum. These may start or finish outside of usual school hours and involve transport such as coaches or trains.
Here, you’ll need trip-specific risk assessments; communication to, and consent from, parents and carers; and approval from your EVC and head.
If you’re not sure if your visit would fall into the ‘routine’ category, ask yourself the following:
- Is it outside of the school day?
- Is it outside your defined LLA?
- Do you need transport to get there? - In some cases (e.g. special schools or rural settings), transport may be needed for LLA visits.
- Does it involve anything beyond an everyday level of risk?
If you’re still not sure, check with your educational visits adviser. OEAP National Guidance 8.1d is also a helpful resource.
For more information about EVOLVE Advice, go to www.evolveadvice.co.uk.
